1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a simulation apparatus, which operates off-line, for a robot system including a robot, a hand and a detection unit that detects a workpiece.
2. Description of the Related Art
Some conventional techniques exist for performing a simulation of a robot system including a robot that performs a follow-up operation with respect to a workpiece using a hand, based on an output from a detection unit that detects a workpiece transported along a transport device
In Japanese Registered Patent Publication No. 2,772,230, a control device of a transport device causes a model of the transport device to be moved by calculating an amount of movement of the transport device that moves a workpiece. A control device of a robot causes a model of the robot to be moved in synchronism with the amount of movement of the transport device based on a state of a model of a limit switch.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. H3-22,106, a relative position of a robot with respect to a workpiece is modified in response to a movement instruction that causes the robot to perform a relative movement with respect to the workpiece. Then, movement teaching data of the robot is formed based on the position of the workpiece and the modified relative position of the robot.
In Japanese Registered Patent Publication No. 4,056,542, there are set up a reference point index, which becomes a reference point on a transport device, and an upstream end index and a downstream end index, which define a spatial range that ensures the safety of the robot operation, and these indexes are displayed at a relative position in response to an actual robot operating environment.
In Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2008-296,330, a gripping position of a workpiece gripped by a robot is calculated based on a position/orientation of the workpiece and the moving direction and the moving speed of the workpiece acquired by collating a still image acquired by a camera and a teaching model of the workpiece.